After surviving a near-death experience and months in the hospital, Jen Perry knew she wanted to do more with her life. In 2014, she founded Jelt as a social enterprise, with the purpose of creating a product that everyone would need, while promoting and encouraging social change.

Functional and socially impactful, Jelt elastic belts are made from recycled plastic bottles and are manufactured in a way that empowers women. Jelt belts are produced by women sewers living on rural Montana ranches and are also manufactured at the Women’s Prison in Billings, Montana, via the Montana Correctional Enterprise Program. This privileged program breaks the cycle of incarceration by interviewing, training and paying the women, giving them the skills and confidence needed to live a more productive life when released. 

Since its inception, Jelt has become a Certified B Corporation, is active in 1% For The Planet, and has donated thousands of dollars to charities all over the world. Jelt truly uses business as a force for good.

“I started Jelt Belt as a social enterprise after seeing the impact businesses can have on nonprofit causes,” said Jen Perry, founder of Jelt Belt. “I remembered the elastic rainbow belts I rocked as a kid in the eighties and wanted to provide a functional piece that could hold up anything from skinny jeans to ski pants. I blended my personal experience with my desire to give back to the community and Jelt was born.”